(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to textile products and, more particularly, to a knitted spacer material including the use of spandex for providing improved stretch, compression resistance, decreased weight, and conformability and/or drape.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,837 issued May 9, 1995 to Rock, et al. for Three-dimensional knit fabric teaches a three-dimensional knit or woven fabric that is permeable to water vapor but impermeable to liquid water is provided, including a first fabric layer, a second fabric layer and yarn interconnecting them, further including a barrier layer adhered to the outside surfaces, and the fabric being imperviously sealed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,847 issued Jul. 29, 1997 to Loeffler for Double-face circular knit teaches a double face circular knit having two concentric lengths of knit web and an in-between spacer structure, wherein spacer threads are textured coarse-filament multifilament yarns, in combination with monofilament yarns.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,263,707 issued Jul. 24, 2001 to Miller, et al. for Opaque heat-moldable circular knit support fabrics having very high spandex content teaches a fabric and method including opaque heat-moldable circular knit fabrics having relatively high amounts of spandex material and other fibers to simultaneously provide maximum support and comfort to a wearer, wherein the fabric may be molded to the specifications of a wearer""s body.
Prior art knitted spacer material commonly employs either warp-knitting or circular knitting techniques to produce a fabric having a predetermined thickness and bulk. However, the prior art knitted spacer materials typically have a relatively high weight, low stretch, and limited drape, since the fabric thickness and compressibility are factors that are generally optimized for a given application.
Thus, there remains a need for a knitted spacer material having increased stretch and compression resistance, decreased weight, and improved drape.
The present invention is directed to a knitted stretch spacer material including the use of SPANDEX for stretch and compression resistance without increasing weight, and improved comformability and/or drape. The present invention is further directed to a knitted spacer material further processed for particular applications, for example including lamination and/or coating to provide a liquid and vapor impermeable fabric, in particular for diving and wet suit applications. The present invention is still further directed to a method for making a knitted spacer material having high stretch, compression resistance, low weight, and improved drape or conformability.
Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention is to provide a knitted spacer material including a fabric having a face surface and a back surface in spaced apart relation with a body portion constructed therebetween, wherein the fabric further includes a stretch yarn component for increased stretch and compression resistance of the material.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a knitted spacer material that functions as a carrier or a substrate, further including a secondary component, which may be applied as a coating, a lamination, and/or an infusion.
Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a knitted spacer material, in particular a circular knitted spacer material.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after a reading of the following description of the preferred embodiment when considered with the drawings.